Tag - water sport

If its time to re-charge your batteries before the high season mayhem begins, then look no further than the all year round chilled out seaside resort town of Cha-am.

A favourite weekend destination for many Thai families, water sport enthusiasts, and myself, Cha-am, the No.1 beach resort of Pecthaburi province, is located 163km south of Bangkok. Getting there is as simple as a 113 Baht, 2hr bus ride from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal which will drop you beside the 6 km beach at Soi 1, Ruamchit Road, the heart of the town or if you’ve 4 hrs to spare and prefer the railway, then 40 Baht will find you a seat on the direct train to Cha-am which leaves from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong Railway Station daily at 09:25am; however, if you take the train, once arrived at Cha-am Railway Station, you’ll have to hop on a 20 Baht motorcycle taxi to ferry you down to the beach area located 2km away.

Dotted along the 6km Ruamchit Road running parallel to Cha-am Beach, visitors can find a variety of new and old accommodation to meet any budget ranging from guest houses and villas (Approx. 400-600Baht /per night depending upon facilities) to hotels and resorts (Approx. 1,500-upwards Baht per night). Nevertheless, as Cha-am is one of the most popular weekend destinations for Thai’s, take note that availability becomes scarce and that prices are variable and do increase to quite high levels over the weekends and during Thai holidays, so to avoid disappointment, book or call in advance if visiting on a non-week day/Thai Holiday.

For the adventurous among you, besides the beach area Cha-am has several sights to see such as Muruk Khatayawan Palace (King Vajiravudh’s golden teak summer residence), Kaeng Krachan National Park & Dam (Thailand’s largest national park at 2,915sq.km), Khao Luang Cave (home to many Buddha images very strangely showered in sunlight from 2pm-3pm), Phra Nakhon Khiri Palace & Park ( King Mongkut’s summer palace), Phraram Rachanivet Palace (King Chulalongkorn’s rainy season palace) and Springfield Village Golf Spa.

At the beach, the usual array of water sports are available, with all vendors offering the same hire prices; Jet skiing 700 Bht/30mins, Banana Boat 200 Bht/per person and so on., but note that rates can change whether the beach is crowded or not, depending upon the day of the week. If you’re tired of lazing by the sea and prefer something a little less energetic than water sports, then hire a bicycle (seating 1, 2,3 even 4 people!) or a motorcycle and tour along the beach road and beyond or even take an idyllic pony trip along the beach as the sun sets. But before you leave the beach area, don’t miss out on tasting some of Cha-am’s fabulous seafood snacks served by wandering vendors.

Back along the main road, Cha-am is now home to a mix of Thai and European (particularly Scandinavian) restaurateurs and guesthouse owners.

However, unlike in other nearby popular areas such as Hua Hin, prices of food and drink are still great value. Delicious seafood, classic Thai and familiar western dishes are available to suit all tastes and large ice cold Heineken, Singha, and Chang.

My guests and diners usually tell me that Cha-am becomes like a home away from home for them, told me Jarle who together with his Thai wife Tukta and family run the perfectly located, sea facing Baan Thai Restaurant & Guesthouse. With 6 clean, well priced & furnished, self contained a/c rooms, a great Euro-Asian menu and never ending stock of ice cold beer, I was not surprised when Jarle told me that Baan Thai (www.ban-Thai.net) has been mentioned in LP.

So for those looking for a break from city life or beach loving brethren, this chilled out and peaceful home away from home is a great nearby seaside destination at which you can re-charge your batteries, hit the seafood and down a few cold ones without blowing a hole in you wallet. Enjoy.

“Daa…” Splash! My friend loses control of his wakeboard and plunges headfirst into the lake. But seconds later he is up, huge smile on his face. “This is awesome,” he beams, giving me the thumbs up sign.”

It’s a sultry Saturday morning and I’m sitting in the sunshine beside a sparkling clear blue lake fringed by palm trees and the red sloping roves of temples, which glitter and shine as the dun hits them. Hard to believe that this is just outside Bangkok, but the truth is that a short taxi ride away from the busy capital, this peaceful haven is just waiting to be discovered.

The great thing is, even on a Saturday the beautiful Taco Lake is far from crowded. In the middle of the day there are only around two dozen people, including a couple of families who have brought picnics and cheer and laugh as dad plays on the lake.

Wakeboarding is a surface water sport where people ride a wakeboard over the water, towed behind a motorboat or a cable on a circuit. Wakeboarding uses a combination of waterskiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques and emerged in the 1980s.

The sport is largely recognised to have been invented by Canadian Paul Fraser, who developed the concept and design with the help of his brother Murray. But it was in the mid 1990s, when wakeboarding was added as a competitive sport in the X Games II, that it became really popular. The interest in the sport was so intense that it prompted the World Skiboard Association to redefine itself as the World Wakeboard Association.

Although it looks tricky, wakeboarding is quite easy to get into and very addictive. The boards are buoyant and the core is usually made from foam or honeycomb mixed with resin and coated with fibreglass. There are metal screws inserted, which attach bindings and fins. There are lots of different fin styles and shapes. Generally, the closer the fins are to the center of the wakeboard the better the board releases from the wake.

Riding the wakeboard is quite simple, in theory at least. The rider performs jumps by hitting the wake and launching into the air or by hitting a special ramp known as a kicker. There is often a rail bar – known as a slider – which the rider can balance along in the same manner as a skateboarder.

As with any extreme sport, there are a whole host of wakeboarding manoeuvres waiting to be mastered. Here are some of the most popular tricks to try:

Raley: this is where you hit the wake and swing your body backwards, up overhead, parallel to the water. Then

swing your board and body back down and land on the other side of the wake.

Fakie/Switch: Ride the board with your weak foot forward.

Butter Slide: The rider approaches the wake and snaps the board sideways to slide on top of the wake.

Surface 360: Spin the board 360 degrees while riding the surface of the water.

If all that seems a bit too much like hard work, you can try kneeboarding instead. Kneeboarding originated in Southern California in the mid 1960s. As with wakeboarding, the participants are towed on a board behind a motorboat or cable.

However, kneeboarding is somewhat easier than wakeboarding as the rider sits on their heels on the board, secured to the deck with an adjustable strap over the thighs. This means that there is no need to balance, which can be a problem for wakeboarders. Although easier to master, kneeboarding is still a lot of fun and there are a lot of tricks to learn and perform.

After three hours of messing about on the lake, everyone is tired but happy, nursing their aching muscles. So we head back to Khaosan Road to drink a few beers and eat pad thai on the street.

Information:

Taco Lake is located about a 30 minute journey from Bangkok in Samut Prakarn Province. To get there, follow the KM 13 Bangna-Trad Road for 150 meters and look for signs for the Intensity Pro shop. You can also phone +66 1855 5295 for more information.

The lake is open daily from 10 a.m. tickets cost just 300 baht for two hours. A standard board is provided for free, or you can pay 100 baht to hire a special board for the entire day. Lifejackets are also provided free of charge and there are plenty of facilities such as changing rooms, benches and a restaurant.

About the author:

Kirsty Turner (Kay) is a freelance writer currently living in Bangkok. She has kindly agreed to write for KhaoSanRoad.com and share her love of all things Thai and, especially, all things Khao San Road!